Despite a sluggish car market, Hyundai has really been on a roll lately. While others struggle to stay in business, the Korean company's car sales have been surging. But how many people, when they think about their next car, think first of Hyundai? None of its cars, not even the premium Genesis, has been a breakthrough product that people simply had to have. Until now. The totally redesigned 2011 Sonata well this product.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Styling

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata's swoopy exterior design marks a sharp departure from that of the handsome but utterly forgettable 2006-2010 Sonata. What the Mercedes-Benz CLS did for luxury sedans-bring coupe-like style to the segment-Hyundai hopes to do for midsize family sedans. Some resemblance can be seen to various luxury sedans (CLS, A6, ES), but Hyundai has also taken far more risks here than with the Genesis. An arching roofline, a couple of strong, curving character lines, and a ribbon of chrome trim that connects the beltline to the headlights could have combined in the side view to form a complicated mess. And yet these design elements manage to form a whole that is both cohesive and distinctive, and at once upscale and sporty. Even the fashionably oversized grille works. Most important of all: unlike the Genesis sedan, the new Sonata stands out on a crowded road.

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata's interior is also very much up-to-date and stylish. The instrument panel includes some artful curves, but is cleanly designed. All of the buttons are easy to reach, and they helpfully vary in shape and size. As with the exterior, Hyundai appears to have benchmarked luxury sedans rather than other family sedans. Controls beneath the nav screen mimic an Infiniti's, while the climate controls mimic a Volvo's. The anthropomorphic control for directing airflow is just a single button rather than the three found in a Volvo, though, so it captures the Swede's style more than its functionality. After sampling all three trim levels-cloth GLS, cloth/leather SE (sport), and leather Limited, the last is easily the most attractive. For those who want an escape from black, gray, and beige, wine-colored hides are offered. 

Interior materials aren't bad, but you're clearly not in a luxury car. Perhaps because it was tailored for the European market, the interior in Hyundai's new Tucson feels more solid and tightly constructed than that in the new Sonata. 

The steering wheel deserves special consideration. Prior to the Genesis, Hyundai upholstered its cars' steering wheels with the world's slickest leather. With the Genesis they seemed to have finally realized that the point of having leather on the steering wheel is to make it easier to grip, not to help it slip through one's fingers. But with the new Sonata they've backslid. The artfully designed steering wheel has a rim composed of three different materials: urethane on the outer sides, slippery leather from 10 to 2 o'clock and from 5 to 7, and, inside the lower perimeter, the sort of rubberized plastic that tended to wear poorly in MkIV Jettas. The last was already badly worn on one of the tested cars. None of the materials is well-suited to the task, and three is two too many. A good steering wheel has one material, a grippy leather, all the way around the rim.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Room and Comfort

The feel of the front seats varies quite a bit depending on whether the center panel upholstery is cloth, as in the GLS and SE, or leather, as in the Limited. The leather seats feel firmer, and you sit noticeably higher in them, or rather on them. With either upholstery the side bolsters quickly surrender when called upon to provide lateral support. 

Some other car reviews will tell you that the Sonata's new coupe-like roofline cost the sedan 2.8 inches of rear legroom compared to the previous generation car. What they fail to notice: maximum front legroom increased by 1.8 inches-which is sure to delight long-legged drivers (with a 30-inch inseam, I'm not one). So rear legroom is only down by an inch, and still fairly plentiful. Rear headroom, not quite so much. Tall passengers will have the scrunch down or sit up front. Other than this, the rear seat is perhaps more comfortable than the front seats. It's a decent height off the floor, the backrest provides a healthy amount of lumbar support, and in the Limited it's even heated. 

The trunk is among the largest in the class, and can be expanded by folding the split rear seat. On the downside, the hinges are the conventional gooseneck type, and the stylish roofline makes for a constricted trunk opening.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Performance

Hyundai will offer no V6 in the new Sonata, we're told to shave 100 pounds off the curb weight (a commendably light 3,199 pounds with the automatic). And a 274-horsepower turbo four won't arrive until fall. So the cars I drove were fitted with a 198-horsepower direct-injected DOHC 2.4-liter four (200 with the SE's dual exhaust). 

This engine, like the related port-injected unit in the new Tucson, is very smooth and quiet for a four. Even held at 4,500 RPM using the automatic's manual shift feature it's not loud, and it never sounds rough. The previous generation four sounds and feels uncivilized in comparison, and it's not a bad engine. The loud clacking typical of high-pressure injectors can be heard when outside the Sonata, but not when inside it. Thrust is a bit soft up to about 25 miles-per-hour, beyond which point the engine feels fairly energetic, if not a substitute for a V6. Few buyers will need more power  or refinement than this four offers. The others can wait a few months for the turbo.

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata's fuel economy is outstanding, a class-leading 22/35 MPG from the EPA. Driven along rural roads, I observed 35 MPG for one segment, and low 30s overall. So the EPA numbers don't seem to have been cheated. A hybrid arrives in the fall, but it seems pointless unless most driving involves frequent stops. Especially in "eco" mode the transmission slightly lugs the engine at times, no doubt to maximize fuel economy. Those whose ears aren't sensitive to low frequency sounds will never notice.

The three trims of the new Sonata all drive differently. The GLS's higher-profile 16-inch tires are noisier than the Limited's 17-inch tires and harm the car's ride and handling. Paired with steelies, they're begging for a mod. The SE's 18-inch tires are also noisier than the Limited's 17s, and together with a firmer suspension yield a busy, occasionally unsettled ride. If the SE handled much better than the Limited the ride penalty might be worth it, but it doesn't. The Limited handles nearly as well as the SE, and rides more quietly and much more smoothly. Add in its more attractive interior and additional features, and the Limited is easily the best of the three trims. If you want a Sonata, you want a Sonata Limited.

Still, compared to a Toyota Camry, the Sonata Limited isn't as quiet or as  smooth. It's the difference between good, even very good, and great. The Camry feels like a premium car through the seat of one's pants and the drums of one's ears. The Sonata does not quite manage the same. On the other hand, the Sonata's steering, while nearly as devoid of feel as the Camry's, isn't overly light, is nicely weighted, and has a clear sense of direction. As a result, even down two cylinders the Hyundai is more engaging and fun to drive (such things being relative). 

2011 Hyundai Sonata Conclusion

With the new Sonata, Hyundai has avoided competing with the top-selling Toyota Camry head on. The Sonata isn't quiet as smooth, as quiet, or as comfortable, but it has better steering and is more fun to drive. But will many midsize sedan buyers notice or care about the difference in how the cars steer? Maybe, maybe not. But they'll certainly notice how the new Sonata looks. The car only arrived at dealers a few weeks ago, and they already seem to be everywhere. A Hyundai that sells because of how it looks-who saw this coming? 
On the star rating: three for the SE, four for the GLS (base), and perhaps five for the Limited. I've gone with the average, four.

A Note on Hyundai Sonata Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've been collecting my own data. Results are posted to TrueDelta.com, with prompt updates every three months--so we'll have reliability stats for the new Sonata well ahead of any other source. Unlike other sources, TrueDelta clearly identifies what difference it will make if you buy a Hyundai Sonata rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" stats. 

To report results, TrueDelta needs reliability data on all cars--not just the Sonata--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants pay an access fee.

Details here:

http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php

Alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 25,000